March 28, 2003

By ONG SOH CHIN, DEPUTY EDITOR, From the Straits Times

IF MONDAY night was the first date, Wednesday night was full-on consummation. For it was on Wednesday that the Rolling Stones pulled out the stops and really hit their stride. They seemed more relaxed, too – in person and in their playing. The 7,000-strong crowd was a little different from Monday’s. Not only was it more evenly mixed in terms of race, age and gender – Monday’s was almost predominantly white, middle-aged and male – it also seemed more responsive.

Perhaps it had something to do with the set, which boasted a few improved variations. Instead of lesser-known numbers like Sweet Virginia and Can’t You Hear Me Knocking, which were played on Monday, the Stones offered up the more familiar Angie and Midnight Rambler. The latter, with its bluesy insouciance and its teasing loping rhythms, built up to an awe-inspiring crescendo of a jam which topped Monday night’s Can’t You Hear Me Knocking. Angie, an obvious crowd pleaser and arguably the one song that was sorely missed on Monday night, drew roars of approval, even if Mick Jagger skirted around the high notes.

The band also served up Let It Bleed, All Down The Line, Live With Me, Thru And Thru and Happy. These came in place of Monday’s Rocks Off, You Can’t Always Get What You Want, Bitch, Slipping Away and Before They Make Me Run. Also missing on Wednesday were the inflatable dolls, as well as the fireworks which ended the show.

But the Rolling Stones left the stage victorious, proving that even without the props, they are still the greatest show on earth.

The cherry blossoms in Japan are worth seeing! We Japanese love cherry blossoms very much, because they bloom rapidly with small & modest blossoms but in a gorgeous sight as a whole and we love them also because they fall and scatter ‘with good grace’ in a short period. And it is always a ‘spring assignment’ for Japanese to get the chance to see cherry blossoms in full bloom! We also enjoy seeing cherry blossoms at night time!

The Eastern world, it is explodin’,
Violence flarin’, bullets loadin’.
You’re old enough to kill, but not for votin’,
You don’t believe in war — but what’s that gun you’re totin’?
An’ even the Jordan river has bodies floatin’.

But you tell me, over and over and over again, my friend,
Ah, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction.

Don’t you understand what I’m tryin’ to say,
An’ can’t you feel the fears I’m feelin’ today?
If the button is pushed, there’s no runnin’ away,
There’ll be no one to save, will the world in a grave.
Take a look around you, boy, it’s bound to scare you, boy.

An’ you tell me, over and over and over again, my friend,
Ah, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction.

An’ you tell me, over and over and over again, my friend,
Ah, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction.

Think of all the hate there is in Red China,
Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama.
Ah, you may leave here for four days in space,
But when you return it’s the same ol’ place,
The poundin’ of the drums, the pride an’ disgrace.
You can bury your dead, but don’t leave a trace.
Hate your next-door neighbor, but don’t forget to say grace,

An’ tell me, over and over and over again, my friend,
You don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction,
No, no, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction.

March 8, 2003

Maybe the hardest thing I’ve ever done
Was to walk away from you
Leaving behind the life that we’d begun
I split myself in twoProud and alone, cold as a stone
Rolling down that hill into the night
I could see the surprise and the hurt in your eyes
From behind each flashing city lightLove needs a heart and I need to find
If loves needs a heart like mine

Love won’t come near me, she don’t even hear me
She walks past my vacancy sign
Love needs a heart, trusting and blind
I wish that heart was mine

“love needs a heart” from the 80’s classic “running on empty” CD of jackson browne. dedicated to the recently loveless, mga SMAP (samahan ng mga malalamig ang pasko), at mga kasalukunyang nag-iisa, saan man kayo sa mundo ngayon. this is probably in my top five records to bring if i’m stranded on a desert island (medyo high-fidelityish. have you read the book or seen the movie?).

kung gusto nyo naman, buy her greatest hits CD called… what else “HITS”. well, she also has another CD called “MISSES” . “hits” for her greatest songs, and “misses” for the songs she thinks are great. it’s a compromise i think because the record label wanted to release a box set but she disagreed. so, to keep everyone happy, they released two cd’s – one called “HITS” and the other called “MISSES”.